Sana Javeri Kadri
Sana Javeri Kadri is the founder of Diaspora Spice Co, a direct trade spice company building a radically equitable, sustainable, and more delicious spice supply chain. Born and raised in Mumbai, India, in a big, mixed-up Muslim-Jain-Hindu family where food was the great unifier. She founded Diaspora Spice Co. in 2017 with a bold vision and a shoestring budget. Since then, it has grown exponentially, now working with more than 150 regenerative farms across India and Sri Lanka, paying $3.1 million directly to farm partners over the past 6.5 years, and bringing 27 single-origin spices and 13 bestselling blends to the world. With over 125,000 customers globally and products stocked in 525+ retail stores across the US and UK, the company is reshaping the spice trade—one fair, flavorful, and transparently sourced spice at a time.
Sana currently splits her time between Mumbai, India, and Menlo Park, California, continuing to push for a food system that values the farmers and flavor at its foundation. You can find her at @sanajaverikadri and @diasporaco
Asha Loupy
Asha Loupy is an Oakland-based food writer, recipe developer, and co-author of The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook. She worked in the specialty food industry—from cheesemonger to grocery buyer—for over a decade before joining Diaspora Spice Co. in 2020, where she served as Recipe Editor for 5+ years. She has contributed to cookbooks like Dan Pashman's Anything's Pastable and Joe Yonan's Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking, in addition to publications like Bon Appétit, Food52, The Kitchn, The Washington Post, and Epicurious. You can also find Asha's recipes in her weekly Substack newsletter, From Head to Table, and her forthcoming solo cookbook, Dinner Season (out June 2027). Find her at @fromheadtotable
Gayle Pirie & John Clark
Gayle Pirie and John Clark are the chef/co-owners of Foreign Cinema, one of San Francisco's most beloved restaurants. The duo met at Vicolo Pizza, rose to co-chefs de cuisine at the legendary Zuni Café, then spent years consulting on restaurants across the U.S., Asia, and Canada. In 2001, they took over Foreign Cinema's kitchen, earning three stars from the San Francisco Chronicle and eleven consecutive "Top 100" rankings. They've published three cookbooks: Country Egg, City Egg, Bride and Groom, and their highly anticipated Foreign Cinema cookbook. They live in Berkeley with their two children. You can find them at @foreigncinemasf